Feeler mechanism for looms



July 17, 1923. 1,461,872

E. T. GILMAN FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed March 29. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3334- 25 e4 l l In Vezz "1, 01" 66mm 7. $1M

Z1 M. w. 9am 14%021297' July 17, 1923. 1,461,872

7 E. T. GILMAN FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed March 29, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wm WM i -j gatented Julyl'Y, 19 23. v WNETED STATES A 1,461,872 PATENT orrica.

EDWARD '1. GILMAN, OF LOWELLfMASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DBAPER CORPORA- T1011, 01 HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, .A. CORPORATION OF MAINE.

manna mnommsm roe Looms.

Application filed March 29, 1922. Serial No. 547,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD T. GILMAN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and tate of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanisms for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawin s representing like parts.

%his invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms whereby the filling is replenished from time to time.

Among the different kinds of feeler mechanisms heretofore proposed is that type now commonly known as the side swipe, in which the feeler is moved in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle when the filling has reached a predetermined degree of exhaustion, and one of the objects of the res ent invention is the simplification o the side swipe type of feeler mechanism whereby improved results are secured and sensitiveness of the feeler mechanism as to presence and substantial absence of filling in the shuttle is insured.

In accordance with the resent invention the feeler is of the incline type and is displaced longitudinally along the filling carrier by frontward pressure of a surface within the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted, and such movement of the feeler under the frontward pressure is utilized in effecting change of filling.

In the practical development of feelermechanism, the present invention provides a feeler slide which is reciprocated towards and from the front of the loom during the weaving operation and the inclined feeler is pivotally mounted on the reciprocating slide and moves with it. Inasmuch asthe feeler is of the inclined type and enters the shuttle in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis thereof, the frontward pressure imparts to the feeler a frontward and normally swinging movement on its pivotal connection with the feeler slide when a working I su ply of filling is present in the shuttle on a etecting beat. In such case the construction and arrangement of arts is such that the normally displaced or aterally swinging movement of the feeler does not operate the train of mechanismfor replenishing the filling, but when the filling is substantially exhausted and the feeler is given its abnormal swingin movement on the feeler slide the tram o mechanism is set in. operation for effecting replenishment of filling. I

The various features of the invention and the novel combination of parts willbest be made clear from the following descri tion n connection with the accompanyin raw- 1ngs which show a good practical orm of the invention.

In the drawings Flg. 1 is a perspective view with parts broken away and showing sufii'cient portions of. the loom to make clear the association of the invention therewith.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section along the line 22 of Fig. 1. 7

F1 3 is a plan view showing the action of {)het eeler Igechanisml whgn, on a detecting ea a wor in sn 0 fillin is resent in the shuttle pp y g p Fi 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3

showmg the action of the feeler mechanism when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

the details of such mechanism form no essential part of the invention.

In the form of the invention as shown the feeler slide on which the feeler is pivoted is mounted on a feeler stand to reciprocate towards and from the front of the loom in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle, and the feeler likewise is supported on the feeler slide to enter the shuttle in an inclined direction relative to the longitudinal axis thereof and by frontward pressure of a surface within the shuttle to effect frontward movement of the feeler and feeler siige in the inclined path directed by the s 1 e.

The loom frame has extending therefrom as usual the shipper stand 1 provided with an extension 2 to which may be secured the bracket 3, as by the bolt 4 for supporting the feeler stand. Mounted upon the portion 5 of the bracket3 is the feeler stand 6 which may be adjustably connected to the bracket by the bolt 7 which passes through the slot 8 indthe side flange portion of the feeler' stan 1 mall The feeler stand further comprises the portions 9 and 10 which may be secured together by appropriate screws 11 as indicated in Fig. 1, and parts 9 and 10 furnish a guide for the frontward and rearward reciprocating movements of the feeler slide 12. The feeler slide 12 has the portions 13 whichride upon the parts of the feeler stand and extending frontwardly from the feeler slide 12 is the stem 14 of the feeler. Surrounding the stem 14 is a spring 15 which noracts to move the feeler slide 12 rearwar ly to position the inclined feeler for the discharge of its feeling function. A shoulder or stop 16 on the feeler stand may appropriately define the rearward position of the feeler slide.

In thepresent instance of the invention the feeler slide 12 as mounted on the feeler stand for reciprocating movement towards and from the front of the loom in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle, is best indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and pivotally mounted upon the feeler slide is the feeler 17 which is of the lnchned type, that is, it enters the shuttle in a d1rect1on inclined to the longitudinal axis of. the shuttle. In the present instance the feeler 17 has an enlarged hub portion 18 through which passes the stud 19 by which the feeler is pivotally connected to the feeler slide. The hub portion 18 of the feeler and perforce the feeler itself may be appropriately retained upon the pivot stud 19 by a cotter pin 20 or other appropriate securing means.

which will permit swinging movement of the feeler uponits supporting stud. Surrounding the stud 19 and preferably housed within the hub portion 18 of'the feeler 1s a spring 21, one end of which is connected to the stud at one of the points thereof and the other end of which 22 is connected to the hub of the feeler at 23, the construction being such that the spring normally tends to move the feeler in a direction opposed to its longitudinal displacing movement when it is moved longitudinally of the shuttle.

Extendin frontwardly from the hub portion 18 of t e feeler is the arm 24 which for identification may be termed the actuator, the front end portion of which has an engaging shoulder 25 which, as will later appear, sets in operation the train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling when the feeler is abnormally displaced longitudinall along the filling carrier in the secured to the feeler stand.

shuttle. he actuator 24 swings in a plane above the plane of the swinging movement of the feeler 17 and extends frontwa'rdly over the top portion of the feeler stand within the opening formed by the bridge 26 Since the spring 21 acts upon the feeler to turn it upon its pivotal support a stop 27 is formed on the feeler stand for limiting the action of the spring, and with reference to such stop the feeler and actuator 24 move frontwardly as the lay beats up. The rear end portion .of the feeler is rovided with filling engaging teeth 28 w ich sink into the filling when a workin supply is present on a detecting beat, and old the fee er from movement longitudinally along the filling. The toothed end portion 28 has the teeth referably arranged on a line inclined to t e longitudinal axis of the feeler and appropriately in substantial parallelism or curved in the arc of a circle with .reference to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle, the effect being that as the toothed end portion of the feeler en ages the filling on a detecting beat the lea ing or most rearwardly projecting teeth of the series will sink into the filling and be followed to a more or less extent by the other teeth of the series, and when the filling is substantially exhausted and the feeler moves along the surface of the filling carrier as the lay heats up, the teeth will slip along the surface of the filling carrier wlthout injurious efi'ect.

Extending frontwardly along the feeler stand is the guide arm 29 between which and the top of the feeler stand extends the transmitter 30 of the train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling. Mounted on the transmitter 30'is a block 31 having a notched portion 32 and preferably adjustably secured to the transmitter by screw 33 whlch passes through the slot 34 in the block, the construction being. such'that the block 31 and its shoulder bearing portion 32 may be adjusted to correct position for meeting the shoulder 25 of the actuator 24 when the feeler is abnormally displaced by the frontward pressure on a detecting beat. The transmitter 30 in the present instance is pivoted to the loom frame at 35 and is normally held in its initial or'rearward position by a spring 36, under the action of which the transmitter 30 rests against the shoulder 37 on the feeler stand. Associated with the transmitter 30 is an arm 38 having an inclined portion 39 and and turn the arm upon its pivotal axis 40 to set in operation the train of mechanism for efiecting replenishment of filling. The lay- 41 carrles the usual shuttle box 42 at the detecting side of the loom and the shuttle box hasan opening 43 in its front wall for the entrance "of the feeler 17. Likewise the shuttle 44 in which the filling carrier 45 ismounted has its front wall provided with an opening 46 which when the shuttle is in the detect1ngbox reg1sters with the opening in the front wall of the shuttle box to permit the feeler to enter the shuttle and feel for filling on a detecting beat.

When a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat the toothed end portion 28 of the feeler engages the filling as the lay moves frontwardly and by virtue of the fronitward pressure upon the inclined feeler 17 the feeler slide and feeler are moved frontwardly in opposition to the spring 15 and in the inclined path defined by the path of the slide. Inasmuch as the feeler and feeler slide move frontwa-rdly in an inclined path while the lay and shuttle with its contents move frontwardly in a straight path, the feeler 17 will have a normal swin ing movement on its pivotal connection with the feeler slide as the two move frontwardly so long as a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat. Such normal dis lacement of the feeler, however, is not suflihient to cause the shoulder portion 25 of the actuator to engage the shoulder portion 32 on the transmitter and the parts will assume position substantially as indicated in Fig. 3. When, however, the filling is substantially exhausted on a detectin heat the frontward pressure of the now suhstantially exposed surface of the filling carrier or bobbin will cause the inclined feeler 17 to slide along the filling carrier or bobbin and swing the feeler into an abnormal position, so that on frontward movement of the inclined feeler and feeler slide, the shoulder 25 of the actuator will engage the shoulder portion 32 on the transmitter and operate the train of mechanism for eifecting replenishment of filling.

The bridge 26 overlies the actuator 24 as it moves frontwardly ast the stop 27 which is fixed to the fee er stand, and the bridge 26 at such time serves to guide the actuator 24 in its swin ing movement to tudinal axis of the shuttle, a feeler pivotally mounted on the inclined feeler slide to enter the shuttle in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle on each detecting beat and having a normal swinging movement relative to the slide which increases in amplitude as the lay moves frontwardly andimparts to the feeler an increased tendency to partake of its abnormal swinging movement, a stop for the feeler when in normal feeling position from which the feeler is removed as it swings normally on each detecting beat, and a transmitter which is actuated by the feeler only when the feeler is abnormally displaced.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler slide mounted on the feeler stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom in a direction inclined to the path of the lay, a feeler and actuator having a connecting hub and pivotally mounted on the feeler slide to enter the shuttle on each detecting beat in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle and having a normal swinging movement asthe lay beats up, a spring enclosed within the hub connecting the feeler and actuator and adjustable to change the spring action upon the feeler, and a transmitter to call the change when the feeler is abnormally displaced.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler slide mounted on the feeler stand for movement towards and from the front of the loom in a direction inclined to the path of the lay, a feeler and actuator having a connecting hub and pivotally mounted on the feeler slide to enter the shuttle on each detecting beat in a direction inclined to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle and having a normal swinging movement as the lay beats u a transmitter having an adjustable b ock which is provided with a notched portion for interlockin engagement with the actuator when the atter is abnormally displaced on a detecti beat.

In testimony whereo I have signed my name to this s ecification.

DWARD T. GILMAN. 

